Call quality

Voices sound tinny and somewhat crackling in the earpiece of the Sierra S1, which might ruin the conversation, especially when there are distracting noises around. The sound coming out is with enough strength for hearing the caller around said noises, it's just that the voices get digitized and intonation intelligible. The microphone situation is slightly better, with enough strength and clarity, although the other end commented we sound muffled and somewhat unnatural.

Battery

The 2000 mAh battery is rated for the abysmal 4.5 hours of talk time, and the decent 25 days on standby. This talk time rating is rather low by any standard for a 2000 mAh battery, though it might have something to do with the dual SIM mode that has to maintain connection with two networks while you are talking, for instance.

Battery life

We measure battery life by running a custom web-script, designed to replicate the power consumption of typical real-life usage. All devices that go through the test have their displays set at 200-nit brightness.

Conclusion

At a price hovering between $250-$300 at various retailers without contract subsidies, the Gigabyte GSmart Sierra S1 is setting itself against formidable competition, like the Motorola Moto G, for example, which is much cheaper, yet offers superior performance.

The 13 MP camera on the Sierra S1 is the big disappointment, and the MediaTek processor coupled with 1 GB of RAM make for a subpar experience. If you aren't much of a shutterbug, though, and need a dual SIM device, the Sierra S1 will offer you a solid, pleasant design, and good media playback abilities on the largish display.

For about the same money, however, you can now get the dual SIM Alcatel One Touch Idol X, which is more compact, and still offers a 5” 1080p display, as well as a much better 13 MP camera. The Galaxy Grand 2 is also a nice dual SIM alternative, but it's likely to cost you more on account of the Samsung branding.

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